Ed Sheeran Crushes MetLife Stadium with Red-Headed Awesomeness

The last time I saw Ed Sheeran was Spring 2013. He opened for Taylor Swift, just him and his guitar, and every single person at the Rock in Newark, mostly teenage Swifties dressed in red to recognize her 2012 breakthrough, knew they were witnessing something special. When he came out to join the T Party for “Everything Has Changed,” she mentioned how fun it was to be friends with one of the best songwriters in the world, who just happens to sing like an angel.

Five years later, Ed Sheeran isn’t opening for anyone.

The Divide tour (Saturday Sept. 22) was everything you would want in a concert and more. There were moments of fun, moments of joy, and even moments of heartbreak. His music is so versatile that some songs like Galway Girl got everyone up and dancing, while others like Happier had everyone in their bag.

Sheeran is incredibly emotional while he sings and it is amazing to experience and feel the songs rather than simply listen to them. Ed’s performance and enthusiasm were excellent throughout the show. A Team is my personal favorite song of his and his performance of this was A+ (pun intended.) What was news to me was that he wrote the song when he was just 18 years old, before his fame. He is a true talent.

The lion has enough significance to Ed Sheeran that it merited the biggest-ever chest tattoo.

His other songs were also terrific, and the art and on-stage effects were very impressive, featuring a multicolor lion, a nod to his homeland, where the king of the jungle is England’s national emblem. Sheeran concluded the show with an exciting performance of his 2014 anthem Sing and then came back for a two song encore. He emerged wearing a half Jets half Giants jersey to support MetLife stadium, and then sang one of his biggest hits, Shape of You as the grand finale.

Not only is Ed Sheeran a talented singer songwriter, but he is also a kind and genuine person. The way he acted at his concert shows that he genuinely cares about his fans and isn’t superficial in the least. He thanked everyone for coming and encouraged everyone to get into it and dance and refrain from being embarrassed. He even acknowledged the fact that not everyone there was his biggest fan and thanked the “superdads” and boyfriends that brought their girlfriend or daughter to come see him. He added that he himself had a “super dad” who would bring him to shows and gigs that Ed enjoyed while his dad wasn’t interested. This gave the concert a much-appreciated personal touch. Another sign that he wasn’t just a spoiled rockstar phoning it in for 50,000 fans is that he had the integrity to create a different experience for the two nights he played the New York market. On Friday night, he segued from Happier to Tenerife Sea, the 2014 hit from his second record, x. But on Saturday, he followed Happier with I’m a Mess, also from x. I felt like I wasn’t just dancing to his music, but I was experiencing his work as an artist.

Overall, the Divide tour was excellent, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sheeran’s work.

This is a remarkably well written piece with thoughtful insight into the emotions experienced during this concert. I’m particularly impressed with the comparison to a younger Carrie at the Taylor Swift concert and how she knew back then what a special talent Ed Sheeran is even though as a tween she wasn’t even at that Taylor Swift concert to see him. I’m glad to see Carrie writing such a comprehensive review and she truly captures the mood of the crowd and performer…not just her own personal feelings, but the experience of that concert collectively.